–This week we look at important Clean up the World Dates/Pollution in our midst and ask how clean in fact are our beaches? Pens at the ready – this years Clean Up will take place on the 23rd September. As usual we will tackle year round hotspots that tend to be in natural spaces – examples include green slopes and coastal areas. Since 2005 our volunteers have placed great energy and effort into cleaning up Gibraltar with many age-old dumps and fly tipping sites eradicated. A visit to the ESG premises – that is presently being fixed up at Wellington Front – will soon enable the visitor to see exhibits and watch films outlining the remarkable projects undertaken under the clean up banner by citizens, businesses, services and NGOs- all pulling together for a cleaner Gibraltar over the years. Fantastic! A formal launch of our premises will coincide with the Clean up itself.

–We are currently developing workshops and planning meetings so email us at esg@gibtelecom.net if you are interested to take part. Planning mtg will take place on the 22nd August.

-The recent announcement and approval by the DPC of the construction of a Waste Management Plant by the Eco Park Team to sort and prepare Gibraltar’s waste locally, is strongly welcomed by the ESG. This aim, to maximise recycling potential of our waste, over any form of incineration, is positive news indeed. We shall be following the development of this project with interest, as it will be a challenging and revolutionary step for Gibraltar to become self-sufficient while moving recyclable waste to various destinations for the greenest possible waste solutions.

–At the start of this newsletter we asked how clean were Gibraltar’s beaches? We ask this because it is well known that despite the clean conditions at beaches at the start of the day in the height of summer, that litter will slowly build up, at times, unacceptably, highlighting the need to change attitudes in those who persist in dumping rubbish – this can be anything from cigarette butts, to the infernal pippita shells, to cans, bottles, and plastic bags; these discarded at the end of the day after holding down umbrellas.

–It is unacceptable that as a community we continue to treat our precious beaches in such a careless and thoughtless manner. Much of this waste will end up in the sea contaminating that ecosystem and potentially harming all that live within it. For the rest it can only degrade the area that people will no doubt re-visit and want to use safely and cleanly on another occasion. Why then not think about the consequences of just dumping where one is sitting? Use containers to hold your rubbish until the end of the day. Then, dispose of this at the appropriate bins provided for this purpose. If this is full – take your rubbish with you. Respect for the environment should be uppermost on all our minds and not just the younger generation who are encouraged to think like this at school. We also must set examples to younger generations..

–It is not only the sandy beaches that are adversely affected. Visit Camp or Little Bay evening or early morning, before the cleaners have been through, and witness the way overnight revellers and some beach users have left the areas. This affects both people and the environment!! Bins are provided so do the right thing, be responsible, and show civic pride – think before you dump!!

–You may have spotted new recycling bins on our beaches – there will be an information campaign happening next week to encourage their use and help beach goers also recycle their waste. Information is welcomed.

–There is now a new Feedback contact where you can report environmental issues of a littering or vandalised nature. That is at: env.feedback@gibraltar.gov.gi or telephone at: Tel: 200-65964

–Moving on to pollution – it is no secret that summer months bring with them the unwelcome spectre of heavy and often intolerable smells and pollution in our local airspace. The ESG takes up these issues with Govt on a regular basis and was relieved to note that onshore power connection and conversion at the Dockyard site and at the Port was happening. This means that vessels in for service will be able to plug into local power supply and shut their engines down thus eliminating funnel emissions. We do not yet know if these are in place and are seeking this information from Government. Paint overspray and offshore bunkering will still have their negative impacts and these should be quantified by efficient and mobile real-time monitoring equipment to assure public safety. We continue to lobby for this.

– Traffic pollution is also especially felt in this season with buses, coaches and diesel cars in particular needing to minimise idling with much greater rigour. Regular traffic should also follow a stricter code of behaviour on idling given the proximity of most of our roads to people and housing. The ESG is also lobbying both Ministers for the Environment and for Transport on these issues.

– A brief summary of our latest List of Objectives is published online at esg-gib.net. Here you will find all areas of concern to the ESG, our understanding of the issues and what we believe needs to be done. Hope this proves useful to you. Get in touch if you want more information.